The present invention relates to a peripheral equipment for telecommunication use which is foldable and attachable to a steering wheel of vehicles with ease and safety. More particularly, it can be mounted to a steering wheel and extended in use and folded for storage with speed. It is operated without interfering with the normal operation of a steering wheel and blocking a driver""s visual sight of the gauges on a dashboard of a vehicle. Besides, it permits a driver to extend and fold telecommunication systems, such as automatic fee collecting systems at fee collecting stations, dialing operators of cellular phones, incoming phone indicators and etc. It enables a drivers to drive without moving his or her hands off a steering wheel or shifting the driver""s view from a moving course. Thereby, drivers can obtain telecommunication information and drive vehicles safely at the same time. The peripheral equipment is made up of an information box and a mount which permit a driver to extend and fold with readiness.
With the technological advances in the telecommunication field, various telecommunication devices are being applied to vehicles recently. In consideration of safety in driving vehicles when drivers using those telecommunication equipment, many prior art peripheral devices (such as a control device) for telecommunication are secured to a steering wheel so that drivers can operate on such devices without moving their hands off steering wheels. It helps drivers effectively in using the advanced devices with security but there are still some following problems developed with such equipment.
1. Common conventional telecommunication devices 9 are secured in an opened space 11 by screws to a steering wheel 11, generally at both sides of a steering wheel 1. This kind of arrangement will cause inconvenience to a driver in grasp of a steering wheel, as shown in FIG. 1.
2. Another arrangement is to secure such a telecommunication device to an upper edge 12 of a steering wheel 1, it will block the visual sight of a driver on the gauges of a dashboard.
The inventor noticed the inconvenience and disadvantages in use of such a prior art telecommunication device on vehicles. He has worked on the problems and come up with a foldable peripheral equipment which can be extended for use and folded in storage so as to increase driving safety in use of such equipment.
Therefore, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a peripheral equipment for telecommunication which is foldable and attachable to a steering wheel of vehicles. It enables a driver to have easy control on a fee collecting system at a fee collecting station, on a dialing operator of cellular phones, phone incoming indicators and the like in driving without interference with normal operation of a steering wheel and interference with visual sight of a driver on gauges of a dashboard.
To make the present invention more clearly presented, a plurality of drawings are provided with in company with a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention.